


Chance Encounter

by Hinarah59



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Eri can see the UG, Eri is 8 yo, Gen, Josh is 23 yo, just the reapers actually, soon-to-be Composer Josh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-03 18:33:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17883071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hinarah59/pseuds/Hinarah59
Summary: “Why don’t we play a Game, then?” he eventually proposed, “If you listen to your parents and be a good girl for 7 days, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”She visibly recoiled at that, whining, “7 days?”The Reaper only smiled.Was it that difficult? Well, that was hardly something he, of all people, should be asking.





	Chance Encounter

 Yoshiya was a Reaper when he met that little girl, trailing curiously behind the invisible stranger with black wings and silver hair. He barely noticed her until he arrived at A-East and turned towards Lapin Angelique to see the new line that week, the sigil by the wall pulling his frequency down to the RG just before he pushed open the glass door. He expected the gentle greeting from inside the shop, but certainly not the fascinated gasp from behind him.

 “They’re gone!” she exclaimed excitedly as she beamed at the blond who whipped around, slightly startled, “Your wings are gone!”

 Princess K was heard giggling from behind the counter at the little encounter; a small girl with reddish brown hair curled outwards at her shoulders, tugging at the man’s grey trousers as she pestered him about his wings. Yoshiya doubted the shopkeeper really cared about the conversation’s details more than she cared about a chance to doll up such a cute child with her new threads. Especially since a regular of hers was right there.

 The blond was never good with people, let alone children. The only people he got along with were the shopkeepers of boutiques he frequented, Doi Ken of Ramen Don, and a certain barista of WildKat; none of which were any younger than himself. All that said, he was not about to let himself panic about some kid seeing his wings and possibly telling others about it. He knew all too well that no one would truly believe them anyway.

 With a defeated sigh, he entered the empty premises of Lapin Angelique that had just opened for the morning, feeling more comfortable where the only person who could question the situation was Princess K. The shopkeeper was happily preparing outfits for the little girl Yoshiya had “brought” with him, although she knew better than to expect the girl to try them on. She just liked to imagine, which helped her coordinate display outfits, he supposed.

 “Where are your parents?” the Reaper asked for good measure, anything to get her safely away from him and hopefully forget about this encounter, “You’re not lost, are you?”

 “Mom and Dad are queuing up at Sunshine for breakfast so I snuck out!” the redhead admitted with unwarranted pride, “We always do our shopping around 104, so I know my way back.”

_ That wasn’t the problem _ , but Yoshiya took what he could get, “You shouldn’t go off on your own like that, dear. Your parents will worry…  _ You’ll also miss breakfast _ .”

 That was hardly the best reason he could come up with, but it at least eased the pain of reciting lines he never had very good memories of. If anything, it took the girl off guard enough for her to consider his words for a moment. However, a moment was all it was worth as she pouted stubbornly and demanded to know the secret behind the “wings” she saw disappear earlier.

 Yoshiya had scanned people before, being released from the limits of the RG allowed one to do that. He was not conceited enough to believe he was the only one who could see the UG when he was alive, albeit he could see it to a far greater extent than those whom he scanned. Some people could only see the Noise, some saw the Reapers, others saw the Players, while rare cases like himself saw them all.

 In any case, the girl did not look like she was willing to budge until he answered her questions.  _ What would kids like her want to hear in situations like these? He wouldn’t know _ . Then,  _ what did he himself want to hear back when he was her age _ ? He remembered the bitterness of everyone brushing him off, saying he was “just imagining things” from UG and RG dwellers alike. It was just the easy way out. For them, at least.

 Decidedly, Yoshiya bent a knee and leveled with the girl, a cheeky smile on his lips as he said, “It’s a secret.”

 It was nothing that would have her running back to her parents but the curious glitter in her eyes began to shine again, a clear sign that she was more negotiable now. The blond imagined his younger self before him, in place of this child with a still-unstained perspective on the world, and recalled the lines he had hoped to hear all the way from back then. Someone who wouldn’t invalidate his reality, someone who was willing to listen even if it truly was just fantasy.  _ All he really wanted _ .

 “Why don’t we play a Game, then?” he eventually proposed, “If you listen to your parents and be a good girl for 7 days, I’ll tell you anything you want to know about my wings.”

 She visibly recoiled at that, whining, “ _ 7 days _ ?”

 The Reaper only smiled.

 “O-okay,” the girl eventually conceded with a pout, “You better keep your promise, though!”

 Already forgetting to ask about the finer details of the bet, she turned on her heels to run back to her parents; just like Yoshiya wanted her to. However, the blond wanted to be thorough. He had planned to overthrow the current Composer within the next 3 days, perhaps sooner, what with all his preparations completed. This impromptu Game did not necessarily clash with his plan, so he might as well treat it as a “trial” for his future Composership.

 Before the redhead could reach the door handle, the Reaper called out to her once more.

 “A Game without risk isn’t any fun, is it?” he said, feeling a bit mischievous now, “As an entry fee, you’ll give me something precious to you to hold on to, and I’ll give you something precious of mine.  _ If I win _ , I keep both of our precious things.  _ If you win _ ,  _ you _ get to keep them instead  while also learning my secrets. This way, you know I’m not lying to you--”

 “ _ Okay _ !” she immediately replied.

 ... _ Oh _ , he was not expecting such a quick response.

 She rummaged through the heart-shaped pouch at her hip and soon pulled out a sketchpad, then held it to her chest as she looked at Yoshiya expectantly. Getting the hint, the man stood and leaned back on his heels to think. The redhead looked so serious, it would not be very fair to take her lightly and bring out something less than what she had, although he never did have any intention to boycott the agreement.

 Something important to him, something preferably physical due to the limits of the RG, and also something that the girl could hold on to without immediately rousing her parents’ suspicions.  _ How troublesome _ , but the soon-to-be Composer was not about to half-ass this Game. No,  _ a Game without risk isn’t any fun, is it _ ? With that, he fished out his wallet and pulled a vintage photograph from it.

 They exchanged their belongings at the same time.

 The girl inspected his entry fee curiously and asked, “Is this your family, mister?”

 A woman of fair complexion and gentle waves of light stood on the left; a bespectacled man with slicked back, black hair in a rumpled, white dress shirt on the right; and a small child who looked not all that different from the fair lady who embraced him lovingly close, cheek to cheek.  _ A happy family _ , if the Reaper had ever seen one. To which, he nodded silently, flipping through the sketchbook in his hand to distract himself from the afterthought.

 Pages upon pages of unrefined squiggles, but an otherwise decipherable compilation of people in expansive variations of clothes and accessories. The man did not doubt he would be able to feel the Imagination overflowing from it when he returned to the UG. Yoshiya smiled at the thought, closing the book to meet eyes with his little opponent. He did not promise that he would not sabotage her winning, but she could rest assured anyway. He was going to be busy this week, after all.

 Finally, he asked, “For the sake of convenience…  _ What’s your name, little miss _ ?”

**Author's Note:**

> Princess K, when Eri left: You and your niece are so cute


End file.
